COURTESY BOONE COUNTY SHERIFF
Now ex-legislative assistant Carter Ballmann is facing sex crime charges.
A legislative assistant to a Maryland Heights Republican was caught in a sting by a Boone County Sheriff's task force member who posed as a fourteen-year-old girl, authorities say.
Carter Ballmann, 24, of Jefferson City, responded to an online post from the fictitious minor, urging her to sneak out of her house and send him nude pictures, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Authorities allege that the former party operative and member of political consulting firm Liberty Strategies was well aware of the supposed girl's age.
Ballmann was a legislative assistant to Representative Mark Matthiesen (R-Maryland Heights). Authorities say Ballman was at work in Jefferson City on Tuesday when they took him into custody. They also served a search warrant at his apartment.
In a statement to media outlets, Matthiesen said, "I am stunned and deeply concerned by Carter Ballmann's arrest and the extremely serious nature of the criminal charge filed against him. While I think it's important to allow the legal system to determine his guilt or innocence, I have made the immediate decision to end his employment with my office."
Matthiesen added that he has and would continue to cooperate with law enforcement handling the investigation.
Ballmann was charged with one count of enticement or attempted enticement of a minor. He was held at Cole County Jail on $100,000 bond.
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